ARMY WITHDRAWS; SALAH AD DIN GOVERNMENT REOPENS;

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000333 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2020 TAGS: PGOV IZ SUBJECT: ARMY WITHDRAWS; SALAH AD DIN GOVERNMENT REOPENS; GOVERNOR DISPUTE REMAINS REF: BAGHDAD 320 Classified By: Political M/C Gary A. Grappo for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) . ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following repeated and strong representations by the Ambassador and USF-I CG GEN Odierno, PM Maliki ordered the withdrawal of the Iraqi Army from the Salah ad-Din (SAD) Provincial Government building on February 7. The Acting Governor was able to enter the building, which had been occupied by the IA since January 20, and resume governance activities. DPM Issawi told PolCouns the same day that he will try to broker a political resolution to the underlying dispute over the seating of the SAD Governor-elect that &restores8 balance between the two main Sunni factions/tribes. He acknowledged, however, that a resolution would be difficult to achieve, and believed that in the absence of an agreement, parties would accept the continuation of the acting governor. END SUMMARY. GOVERNMENT BUILDING OPENS -------------- ¶2. (C) On February 7, Deputy PM Rafi'e al-Issawi told PolCouns that PM Maliki had directed the Iraqi Army (IA) to withdraw from the Salah ad-Din (SAD) government building (reftel) NLT 1300 local time that day. Issawi and PRToffs confirmed the IA had departed by 1400 and that Acting Governor Ahmed had entered the facility to resume his duties. Maliki,s decision order follows repeated and strong representations by the Ambassador and USF-I CG GEN Odierno to PM Maliki, DefMin Mufriji, MOI Bolani, and other senior political and security officials emphasizing the imperative to remove the IA from entanglement in a purely domestic, non-violent political matter. GOVERNOR DISPUTE CONTINUES -------------- ¶3. (C) Despite the IA's withdrawal, the underlying dispute over the governorship of the province remains. Issawi told PolCouns he had met the previous night with 16 to 17 SAD Provincial Council (PC) members from the ruling coalition for six hours, but had failed to broker an agreement that would &restore8 balance between the main political groups and tribes, as PC members maintained that their actions to replace the governor had been in accord with the law and should not be subject to political alteration. The PC majority rejected any deal putting former Governor Mutashar or any other IIP member in the governor position, although, according to Issawi, PC Chair Ahmed Abdullah Abid Khalaf (Abu Mazin) now seemed to be open to these options. ¶4. (C) Issawi observed that a resolution was likely not possible and that he would submit a report recommending that the PM issue a letter(s) containing four directives: (1) the First Deputy Governor should assume activities as acting governor until the election of a new governor; (2) PC Chair Abu Mazin should be dismissed from the PC because he failed to possess the qualifications to be a PC member, as MOI records indicated that he had been convicted of car theft (NOTE: Abu Mazin told PRToff and poloff that a court had ruled in his favor on this issue in late January. END NOTE.); (3) the October 27 election of SAD Governor-elect Khalid Salih should be invalidated because the session during which he had been elected had been chaired by an &illegitimate8 member(i.e., Abu Mazin) (NOTE: This legal rationale is not supported by Iraqi law. END NOTE.); and (4) new elections should be held for the governor and PC Chair positions on February 14. (COMMENT: It is unclear under what legal authority the PM could issue such directives. END COMMENT.) ¶5. (C) Issawi told PolCouns he would hold off sending the report to the PM until after he hosted a meeting on the Qreport to the PM until after he hosted a meeting on the evening of February 7 between PC member Abdullah Jebara and two other members of the PC ruling coalition, in addition to some IIP members, including Ammar Hammoud. Issawi said he would send the report to the PM only if no final resolution was reached during that meeting. He added that IIP representatives had told him they would accept the results of the new elections, if Abu Mazin were excluded. When asked if he believed the IIP, Issawi smiled and demurred. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: With the IA now removed from the scene, we will continue to work with all parties to encourage a resolution that is respectful of the rule of law. Issawi is trying his level best to broker a political agreement that meets PM Maliki,s desire to satisfy the IIP,s demand for a &restoration8 of the previous balance between IIP and Iraqiyya, between Samarra and Tikrit, and between the Samarrai and Jabouri tribes. This will be a difficult balance to achieve, and in the end the parties may conclude that their best interests are served by accepting the continuation of the acting governor until after the March 7 national election. END COMMENT. HILL